Worth It
by chocolatte-delight
Summary: She was the older sister, she was the one who was supposed to take the fall. For Hanabi's sake, she would endure through it all. Both Hinata and Hanabi POV.


Ehh, well, just felt like writing some Hyuuga love. Tell me what you guys think :)

Oh, and I don't own anything. (I always forget to do disclaimers.)

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To a spectator's eyes, it was just a simple spar between sisters. A small test of strength, a battle of wills.

To the elders, however, it was a deciding match between who was heiress... and who was not.

Hinata knew that. She could feel the pit of nervousness that was building inside her, the small confidence that welled up in her. Yet, she couldn't, _just couldn't_, land a hit on her sister.

It wasn't because Hanabi was moving too fast. _She could land a hit so easily right now. _It wasn't because there were no openings. _There are so many holes in her form._ It wasn't because she was going easy on her. _I want to fight her seriously too._

It was because to strike her imouto would be more painful than the pain her body was feeling. It would be more painful than the disappointed and cold looks her father shot her. It would be more hurtful than the soft murmurings of how weak the Hyuuga heiress was.

She would block and she would dodge, but she would not lay a hand on Hanabi.

At the end of the match, she would face her little sister's frowning face, she would ignore the elder's disapproving looks, and she would take the fact that she was no longer heiress with a firm face.

She would take whatever came at her. She would bear it, endure it, be unshakeable.

Because _she_ was the older sister, _she _was supposed to look out for her sister, _she _was supposed to be the responsible one.

At the end of the day as she was banished from the Hyuuga household, she could walk away with a smile, knowing she had kept her sister from a fate worse than being the disowned heiress.

Hanabi's forehead would stay bare, would stay unsealed.

She could walk away proudly, knowing she had done what an older sister should always do.

Shield their younger siblings from the harsh realities of life until they're ready, ready to face it on their own.

* * *

Hanabi didn't know why Hinata hadn't fought back. To any other Hyuuga's eyes, Hinata had taken all the hits, had tried and failed, had lost her title because of her own shortcomings.

But they hadn't seen what Hanabi had seen. They hadn't seen the firm resolve in her neesan's eyes, they hadn't seen the way her lips had been set, they hadn't seen the small smile on her face as she lay on the ground, utterly defeated.

She didn't understand how her sister could still smile proudly even as she left the Hyuuga household with nothing more than her belongings and the clothes on her back.

Watching her sister walk away with that proud smile, that powerful stride, that upright head, Hanabi realized something. Hanabi didn't _understand_ how she knew it, but she did. She knew that although Hinata had lost the match that day, she had won what she had been fighting for.

Just what she had been fighting for, Hanabi had no idea.

It wasn't until her twentieth birthday when she was inaugurated as the Clan Head, when she was taught how to activate the seals on the branch family's foreheads, when they all pledged their loyalty to her, that Hanabi understood just what her sister had been fighting for.

_Me._

Her sister lost it all, sacrificed everything. She was treated with disdain, was spoken to with poorly-hidden words of malice. She was the eyesore, the weak girl, the outcast of the Hyuuga clan. She was the disowned heiress, the one too weak to defeat her sister five years her junior. She endured it, ignored it, took it all.

_All for me._

She ran away from the ceremony, intent on finding her sister. Landing outside her apartment door, feelings of shame, of hurt, of _anger_, overcame her. Questions flooded her. _Why did you do it? _She wanted to know._ How did you do it? Why did you give it all up, just for me?_

All the harsh words, the curious words, the hurt words that threatened to erupt from her tongue, were lost as her sister's face smiled proudly at her.

_"Congratulations, Hanabi-chan!"_

How could she attack her sister with words, with questions, when Hinata had suffered through it all for so long?

_"Thank you, Hinata-neechan."_

From time to time, the familiar feelings of hurt, of anger, of curiosity bubbled up in her. It was too much, she wanted to know, to _understand_ just what her loving sister went through.

Watching her sister coo and smile at her child always stemmed those feelings, always stopped her from delving into her sister's heart.

_"Do you want to see your auntie?" cooed Hinata._

_"Me, an aunt?" Hanabi snorted. "As if. I'd much rather be the uncle."_

_Hinata giggled. "Then you won't be able to visit as much anymore. It's been said that the uncles are the perverted ones. I don't want Hiro-kun to turn into another Jiraiya-sama."_

_"You have the blonde idiot of a Hokage to be _that_ uncle." Hanabi paused, a hesitant tone in her voice. "If I can't be the uncle, can I be the older sister?"_

_Hinata tilted her head thoughtfully. "Being an older sister is a big responsibilty... But I think you're up for it!" Hanabi was graced with one of Hinata's breath-taking smiles._

_"Can I hold my otouto now?"_

Whenever she looked into her nephew/younger brother's dark, charcoal-gray eyes, Hanabi felt as if she could understand her older sister's feelings now, if only a little bit.

_"Until he can stand up for himself, I will protect him with my life."_

* * *

So, any guesses as to who the father is? Hehe... Anyways, I think I might do a chapter on Hiro if you guys want. Or I could do it on how Hinata and how her and her future husband meet.

I hope you guys liked it!

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